Here With Me
by AnnCarter
Summary: For Lucifer, everything's okay as long as he has Chloe with him. [Future Deckerstar, spoilers to the season 4 finale]


_All rights for Lucifer are Warner Bros'. I own nothing._

**AN:** I just watched Vegas with Some Radish again and this sort of popped up in my head because of the ending. Set in some post-season-4 (hopefully end of season 5) future in which Lucifer comes back to Earth.

* * *

There weren't many night in which he came up to his penthouse nowadays.

The truth was, he didn't have anything to look for in the penthouse. Not most nights, anyway. He didn't sleep with random strangers anymore, and while his personal whisky collection was far more extensive than the one at LUX, it didn't take a long time to stop by and pick up a few bottles to take to his new home. He'd already brought a piano to the empty room, and a fair bit of his wardrobe was there, too. There was hardly anything to look for in the penthouse.

The thought of his new home brought warmth deep into him, similar to what the whisky used to do, but somehow more satisfying. Only now that he thought of his new home he realised how much was missing from LUX, back when he called it his home. He loved it, yes, but as he'd once told Chloe, home wasn't about the place. It was about the people.

Still, every now and then he'd find himself missing his place. The piano, the balcony, the whisky. Even his own bed and sofas sometimes brought a sense of longing when he thought of them. So he kept the penthouse and made sure it was perfectly clean, ready to be used in a moment's notice.

He wasn't sure what drew him there that night. He and Chloe solved another crime, so he spent an hour or so at LUX that night, checking how his club was doing and having a couple of drinks. It was still odd to turn down the women who wanted him, but it wasn't difficult, not really. Not when he thought about home.

He told himself he'd just stop by the penthouse and pick up a few more bottles. Might as well use the opportunity of being here, he reasoned. The ones he took four days earlier were already running out; he certainly needed more whisky for the rest of the week.

As he stepped out of the elevator, he took a deep breath, reminding himself of the unique scent of his other home. He loved the place. It didn't matter that he was alone; the penthouse was still a part of him. The first place he ever felt like he belongs. So many things have happened here. He'd tried to get Chloe to sleep with him here, not so long after they met. And he stopped her when she drunkenly tried to seduce him here. He'd argued with his brother and mother here. Chloe, Dan and Linda fell asleep here on Chloe's birthday, and she woke up in time to receive his gift. She'd saved him from himself here, too, as he was slowly turning into a monster. So many memories, all in one space.

He shook his head to himself, and then turned to get a drink. As he took the familiar route, he looked around him, taking in the familiar sight. And then he stopped as his eyes found the bed.

It took him a moment to realise what bothered him. His eyes narrowed. There was someone in his bed. Irritation started building up in him and he opened his mouth to wake the seemingly-sleeping person up. Just because he wasn't staying at the penthouse anymore—

And then the penny dropped, and he stopped in surprise, avoiding waking her up in the nick of time.

Softness filled him. She was so beautiful. He kept telling her so, but she always laughed it off, even though she knew he doesn't lie. He had to take a moment to just look at her, at the way her hair was spread all over the pillow, at how relaxed her muscles were. He couldn't see her face — she was lying with her back to him — but he could see it in his mind. It was calm, like it always was whenever he watched her sleep. She always laughed at the fact he took the time to watch her sleeping, but he couldn't help it. He'd tried to get them to that point for so long that he had to cherish every single moment they had together.

As quietly as he could, he moved back and took off his shoes and socks. He dropped his jacket on the sofa as he came in, and now he quickly unbuttoned his shirt and took off his trousers, dropping them on the sofa too. Just as quietly as he stepped away, he moved back towards the bed and slowly sat down next to her. He tried to do it as slowly and gently as he could, to avoid waking her up.

But either he wasn't good at it or she was sleeping very lightly, because she stirred the moment he sat down.

"Hey," She murmured, smiling sleepily at him.

"Hey," He said softly, giving up being careful and just sliding next to her under the blanket. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you." She waited until he was lying down and then moved closer to him, resting her head against his chest. He wrapped an arm around her, holding her to him. "You said you're going to LUX; I figured you'd stop here."

She knew him, there was no doubt about that. "I was going to bring whisky back," He explained. "But since you're here…"

She smiled again. "Thought I'd save you the trouble. Trixie is with Dan anyway."

"We could've used that opportunity to do something fun," He teased. She laughed and punched him lightly. He smiled and gently brushed hair away from her face with his free hand, taking the time to properly move the pesky locks away. He wanted to see her face clearly. "You look beautiful," He said softly, not even realising he spoke out loud until she blushed.

"I look like I just woke up," She contradicted.

He chuckled. "You do, but you look beautiful, too." She punched him lightly again, and he smiled — it seemed like he couldn't stop smiling around her lately — before gently placing his palm on top of hers where it rested on his chest. "Go back to sleep," He said before planting a kiss in her hair.

"In a moment." Her eyes were closed now, but he could tell she was wide awake by the pattern of her breathing and the slight tension in her body. "I just…" She bit her lower lip in an uncharacteristic show of hesitance. "I almost lost you, Lucifer. I just want…"

He let out a long breath. His return to Hell — right after they admitted their love to one other — still hung above every moment they had together. He, too, wanted to take advantage of every moment they had together.

"Me too," He said, his voice quiet and filled with emotion. He gently squeezed her hand and she turned her palm around and squeezed his in response. They didn't need to say anything more; they both knew what they were thinking about. "Seeing as we're not sleeping, how about a drink?"

She smiled, the tension slowly leaving her body. The mood lightened up in an instant. "I'd rather have you here."

"Would you now?" He studied what her could see of her, his eyebrows raised slightly and his voice approving. "Well, in that case, I can think of some other things we can do."

"Can you now?" She mimicked him. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him, her chin resting against his bare chest. "Tell me," She said in her best British accent, "What do you desire?"

For a moment, he was torn between laughing at her imitation and replying to her question. But he quickly settled for grinning and swiftly moving them both, until he was holding himself above her, his eyes set on hers.

"You," He replied quietly, his voice filled with desire. Her breathing quickened, and she reached out to him, gently caressing his cheek. Seeing her lying in his bed like that, silently reminding him that she's there with that single touch, only made his love for her even clearer. He loved her so much. He never thought he could feel that way towards another person — let alone a human — but looking down at her, it felt like there was nothing more natural than that.

"I'm here," She said softly, smiling up at him.

He took a deep breath, pushing all thoughts out of his mind. "Yes," He said softly, "You are."

With that he bent down to kiss her, silencing whatever thoughts either of them had.

* * *

He let his fingers run over her arm, slowly and gently, just taking in the texture of her skin. When she lay next to him like that, her breathing still quick and her cheeks still flushed, he couldn't force his eyes off of her. He was used to pleasuring — after all, desire and pleasure were his gifts — but with her, it somehow felt different. Everything was somehow more satisfying. And watching her body slowly relaxing, knowing _he_ was the one to bring her that pleasure, was somehow just as satisfying as the little touches in between.

When he told her that, shortly after they started dating, she laughed and explained it was because they loved each other, like it was obvious. How was he supposed to know, he reasoned, when she's the only woman he'd ever loved?

He didn't know whether she was right, but he took the time to enjoy it every single time. He didn't know how much longer they had together — and he didn't want to think about what might happen once she dies — but he intended to fully use every moment he could have. Working, doing things with her daughter, going out or staying in bed — as long as he was with her, he didn't care what they were doing.

"What?" She asked softly, cutting his thoughts off.

He shook his head. "Nothing important."

"Tell me."

He smiled and brushed a few rogue locks of hair from her face. "I love you, Chloe," He said softly. The words seemed inadequate compared to the depth of his emotions, but they would have to do. There was no other way to share his feelings for her.

She smiled back at him. He could see in her eyes how much it meant to her that he said that; he knew she cherished it as much as he did her words. "I love you too," She replied, her voice just as full of love as his. "But that's not what you were thinking."

He burst out laughing. "In a sense, it was," He contradicted, still amused. "I was… cherishing having you here with me like that." He gently caressed her cheek before letting his fingers wander back down her shoulder to her arm. "Even just seeing you lying here when I came in…" He shook his head again. There really weren't enough words to describe the way he felt about her.

"So that's why you took so long joining me."

"Of course you were awake." He let out an exasperated breath, rolling his eyes. "Why on earth did you let me go through this whole trying-not-to-wake-you-up thing if you weren't sleeping?"

At least she had the decency to blush. "Sorry. I didn't think it would take you this long."

He shook his head slightly and pulled her closer. "I was trying to be quiet for you."

"Thank you," She whispered.

He shrugged it off. "Get some sleep," He said softly. "Since you're still bent on going to work tomorrow-" She started laughing at that, and he smiled to himself, "-you might want to get some rest beforehand."

She pulled back slightly, just enough to kiss him before once again resting her head against his chest. Her eyes drifted shut and before long, her breathing slowed down to its usual sleeping-pace. For a long while he fought sleep, taking the time to look at her, to study her every movement, to appreciate every single part of her, before letting sleep overtake him, too. Chloe was safe and in his arms. For now, at least, everything was okay.


End file.
